Ground radials system for my HF9V vertical antenna

Started by WA4STO, September 22, 2012, 01:15:43 PM

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WA4STO

For those of you following my (boring) ground radials system postings, my back and bones are happy to report that I'm done.  For now.



I now have 32 radials in place, but more importantly, they are all connected to ground very securely, which certainly wasn't the case as you can see in the previous posting.



This is what a few of the radials look like at present.  We've experienced a severe drought like much of the country has this summer, so I'm guessing that it'll be well into next Spring before ole Ma Nature buries them adequately.  Adequately for the lawn mower, that is.



In the first picture, check out the black steel pieces.  A friend cut/welded them, and they are MUCH larger than you can see, since it's much like an iceburg in this view.  I had asked him for a foldover mount that I could drive the old motorhome rear duallies over so as to support a large, tilt-over antenna.  And that's exactly what I got.  The MH is long gone; the mount survives quite nicely.

73 de WA4STO

WA4STO

Was all the work (installing the ground radials, stainless steel plate, etc) worth it?

Hard to tell because there was an RTTY contest on, and I just LOVE radioteletype.

Here's my log for a 20 minute stretch on 10, 15 and 20 meters.



I worked 9A1A (in Croatia) on 15 and then I was startled to see him ask me to QSY to 20 meters.  Which also worked well.  I think he must have needed Nebraska on 20 for some award or another.

Geez, Croatia!  I'm fine with that...


WA4STO

Oh...  Just figured out why 9A1A was so loud here in Nebraska...



To see more (a LOT more) fabulous pics of this Croatian amateur radio station, go here:

http://www.qrz.com/db/9a1a

73 de WA4STO

AE5J

#18
QuoteI guess the chicken wire would work on top of the ground.. If one had a big yard and could sacrifice some area..
And some hide if momma's chickens get loose!   :)

I used chicken wire once. It worked, but I ended up going to a DX Engineering radial plate and lots of radials. Worked better. Well, I couldn't actually prove it worked better, but the theory was correct anyway.

Gil...The Buddistick is not a vertical antenna per se. It is a vertical dipole. The end of the counterpoise is a high current point and cannot contact the ground. That's why changing the length of the counterpoise can actually bring the antenna into resonance. Sure works good though. I love mine. I opted for the Buddipole and added a bunch of parts. I can even make old fashioned TV rabbit ears!

I have had an off center fed dipole up for about 10 years now. It is 130 feet long, up about 30 feet at the feed point, and the ends slope down to only about 6 feet. It is easily the best dipole type antenna I've ever used. No tuner needed, except on the bands where it is not resonant in anyway. I have worked about 85 or so countries with 5 watts using it in that time. The OCF antenna is just that, off center fed, because that raises the feedpoint impedance over what a dipole would be at the same height. The Carolina Windom is a type of OCF antenna. He recommends a wide range automatic tuner. Most manual tuners will tune one just fine - especially the kind that have roller inductors.

White Tiger

Wow, someone's been BUSY!

Excellent project Luck...and as they say here in the south..."get 'er done..."!
If you're looking for me, you're probably looking in the wrong place.